Li Qingzhao is an outstanding female poet in the history of Chinese literature. Her words are lyrical masterpieces by an intellectual woman and have unique ideological and artistic value. Her life experience and poetry creation are divided into two periods based on the "Jingkang Incident" (1127). Her later poems won high praise at that time and from later generations because they reflected the chaotic atmosphere of the times, the feeling of wandering, and the thoughts of home and country. As for her early poems, there have been many misinterpretations and belittlings over the past 800 years. Wang Zhuo of the Southern Song Dynasty slandered her in "Biji Manzhi" for "the lewd words in the alleys and the wanton writing. Since ancient times, the gentry's family has never seen such a literate woman, so careless about her status." Ye Sheng, a native of the Ming Dynasty, criticized her words as "ominous tools" in "Shuidong Diary". Many contemporary scholars also believe that her early poems have little ideological value. For example, some people say that it expresses "that extremely leisurely and elegant life style" [1]. Some people also say: "In terms of ideological meaning, she just followed the poets of the previous generation, using relatively smooth words and skillful tunes to play the pleasures or sorrows of separation that the ancients repeated thousands of times. If we say that during this period Writing about the joys and sorrows of love can be regarded as anti-feudal, pursuing a better life, and having ideals. As some commentators have inferred, I think this is an unworthy reputation for Li Qingzhao." (Guo Yu. Heng: "The Social Significance and Artistic Value of Li Qingzhao's Ci")[2] Some scholars want to affirm her early Ci, but they only praise her superb artistic techniques. Mr. Lu Xun has always advocated that the thesis "is best to take into account the entire article, and take into account the author's whole person, as well as his social status, so that it is more conclusive. Otherwise, it will easily be close to dreaming" [3]. Regarding Li Qingzhao's early poems, we should also adopt this historical materialist attitude and make a realistic evaluation. This article intends to briefly express my own opinions on the ideological value of Li Qingzhao's early poems, and talk about them as the "brick" of "attracting jade".
Mr. Feng Xuefeng once said when talking about Mengke and Shafie-style women who appeared in May Fourth literature that women who awakened from feudal oppression often have to experience their awakening through women’s awakening. The awakening of "human" society. Mr. Feng's point of view provides a new perspective for us to re-understand Li Qingzhao's early Ci. Li Qingzhao's early poems first showed the "awakening of women", and then from "women's awakening" to the awakening of their "human" society, making her early poems a lyrical masterpiece of awakening women in Chinese feudal society. It became a dawn in the history of Chinese women's liberation.
1. Expressing women’s erotic love and pursuing women’s right to love
There are many lovesickness songs and farewell tunes in Tang and Song Dynasty poems, but most of them are unrequited love or "unrequited love" of male poets. "A man makes a boudoir sound", which represents a woman's lovesickness. Their descriptions of women's clothing and moods are quite delicate and lifelike, but their descriptions of women's psychological experiences appear to be realistic rather than lifelike because they are too superficial. Li Qingzhao expresses her deep and passionate love for her lover directly as a woman. She uses female sensitivity and delicacy to express feminine tenderness, which is particularly real and moving. Not only that, she always starts from her own emotional desires and boldly and proactively expresses her love requirements, instead of pursuing women's love rights as a man's accessory or a passive object of his love. For example, in her "Butterflies Love Flowers":
The warm rain and clear wind have just broken through the frost, and the willow eyes and plum blossom cheeks already feel the heartbeat of spring. Who has sex with drunken poetry? Tears melt and the remaining pink flowers are heavy. At first try, the gold thread seam on the shirt is worn, and the mountain pillow is tilted, and the hairpin head and phoenix are damaged by the pillow. Holding one's arms alone is full of sorrow and no good dreams, and the night is still full of lanterns and flowers. (Li Qingzhao's poems quoted in this article are all based on Wang Zhongwen's "Collection and Compilation of Li Qingzhao")[4]
The poet faced the vibrant scenery of plum trees and willows competing for spring, which triggered an uncontrollable feeling of spring. Then he personified spring and used the "spring heartbeat" of spring to write about his desire for love. The next film directly describes her unbearable loneliness without love, so that she is bored and unable to sleep at night. As a noble lady in feudal society, the author is able to erase her timid veil, go beyond the "don't say anything inappropriate" trap, and show women's awakening consciousness. This female awakening consciousness runs throughout her love words. Li Qingzhao's "Huanxisha" "The hibiscus on the embroidered curtain opens with a smile" is a love song about a girl's first love:
The hibiscus on the embroidered curtain opens with a smile, leaning against the precious duck with fragrant cheeks, her eyes are moved and guessed. One side is charming and full of charm, half of the paper is filled with tenderness and hatred, and the moon is moving and the shadows of flowers are about to come back again.
This poem delicately and realistically describes the mood and psychology of a girl's first love. Although it does not necessarily describe Li Qingzhao's love experience as a girl, it expresses the love ideal of this passionate and talented woman. After she got married to Zhao Mingcheng, they became like-minded and "couples are good at being friends." Zhao Mingcheng served as an official twice, and Li Qingzhao did not accompany him to the post. The separation was minor, and Li Qingzhao wrote many well-known masterpieces reflecting the lovesickness of young women. For example, "A Cut of Plum Blossoms":
The fragrance of red lotus root lingers in the jade mat in autumn, I gently undress my clothes and get on the orchid boat alone. Who in the clouds sent a brocade book? When the wild goose returned, the moon was full on the west tower. The flowers are floating and the water is flowing, a kind of lovesickness and two places of leisurely sorrow. There is no way to eliminate this feeling, so I just frown, but it is in my heart.
This poem is the secret inner monologue of a newly married woman who has parted ways. The first film depicts the autumn scenery as a foil for farewell, depicting Li Ren's thoughts, feelings and actions in a delicate and realistic yet tortuous and euphemistic way. The next film directly expresses the pain of lovesickness, using "the flowers float away and the water flows" to set off the helpless look of waiting for someone to return.
From "There is no way to eliminate this love, so it is only on the brow, but on the heart", we can understand her deep love for her husband and her passionate pursuit of love. In that era when women's demands were suppressed, being able to praise love so boldly, without any coyness or morbidity, is clearly a manifestation of the awakening of female consciousness.
Her "Drunken Flower Yin·Nine Days" writes about the melancholy of longing for lovesickness after a long separation and cherishing loved ones during the festive season: